Harry Potter and the Burning of Bridges
by ZebJeb
Summary: Collection of one shots where various Harry Potter characters will get more upset than in canon and end up saying or doing something that will likely destroy relationships, and possibly have long lasting plot impacts. Not meant to be bash-fic, but there will be some unforgiving interpretations of actions and words that will edge on bashing.
1. Chapter 1 - Hagrid and Poppy

AUTHOR NOTE – This is a series of one-shots that will deal with Harry Potter characters reacting differently to canon events, almost always in a way which would result in wrecked relationships. It is not my intention to bash per se, but there will be a fair number of rage-fueled interpretations of character actions that I could see other characters having.

AUTHOR NOTE 2 – Set in Book One, before Norbert is flown away

* * *

"Hello Norbert, mummy loves you!" crooned a happy Hagrid. He knew that he would soon have to give up his little baby dragon, so he was making the most of the few days he had left with Norbert.

It wasn't fair that he couldn't keep his dragon! Greatly misunderstood creatures, they were. It seemed like whenever he found an interesting creature, he was forced to give it up. Why couldn't people just see the beauty in the little darlings?

A knock on the door interrupted his trip down memory lane of all the creatures he had let go of over the years. Looking nervously over at Norbert playing in the corner, he whispered silently. "Shhh… Norbert, be quiet for mummy".

Norbert growled in response.

Hagrid chuckled lightly. "Such a scamp!"

Hagrid opened the door just a crack to see who had knocked. To his surprise it was Poppy Pomphrey, the school's healer. He couldn't remember the last time she had visited… or if she had ever visited.

"Poppy? What can I do for you?"

Poppy's normally cheerful expression (well, when she wasn't fixing up a student) was replaced by an extremely stern one. "May I come in Hagrid?"

Hagrid's eyes darted over to Norbert. The dragon that he wasn't technically supposed to have (in the sense that it was wildly illegal).

"Errr…. Now's not a good time, Poppy? How's about I come up to the castle in 'bout an hour?"

Poppy's expression transformed from stern to icy. Her voice was extremely measured, as if she was intentionally keeping herself calm. "Either open the door, Hagrid, or I will blast it into splinters. The choice is yours."

"Poppy!?"

"I will tear your hut to its foundations if I need to, Hagrid! DO… NOT… TEST… ME!"

A shocked Hagrid pulled the door open and stepped aside. Poppy walked into the room and her eyes immediately fell upon Norbert ripping into a hanging leg of lamb. She sighed.

"I had really hoped I was wrong, Hagrid. I had really hoped that Ronald Weasley had come across a wild dragon in the Forbidden Forest. I had hoped… but this had your signature all over it."

Hagrid's eyes widened in surprise. "Ron told ya!?"

Poppy huffed. "Of course, he didn't! He's a teenage boy trying to protect someone he considers to be a friend. His lies were poorly thought and clearly contradicted by the physical evidence. The boy is just lucky that recognizing dragon bites is a part of my training. So, how did he end up being bitten?"

Hagrid looked sheepish. "Well… he was helpin' feed Norbert, and… he must have frightened the poor baby. I set him right, of course, Poppy! I told him that he shouldna scared Norbert, if he didna want to be bit!"

Poppy nodded. "So, you're saying he was completely to blame?"

"Right!"

"And, did you tell him to head directly to the hospital wing?"

"Nah, twere just a small nip. And it was after curfew anyways. I didna want to get him into trouble."

Poppy ground her teeth together. "Of course! You wouldn't want him to get caught out of his common room after curfew, while heading to the hospital wing to treat the bite that he received from the dragon you were illegally raising. That would just be silly!"

Hagrid gulped. "Now Poppy…"

Poppy brusquely cut him off. "What breed is Norbert?"

"Wha?"

"What breed is your dragon? I need to know the appropriate antidote to use to finish treating the venom."

"Venom!? Norbert's a Norwegian Ridgeback, but he doesn't have venom! I've been nipped tons without a problem."

Poppy's voice strained with forced calmness. "Norwegian Ridgeback are known for their venomous bites. Never mind that for now. Who else has been around your dragon? Who else have you brought in on the secret?"

"Poppy! I'm not going betray Harry and Hermione after they helped me with… I shouldna said that!"

Poppy finally lost her restraint and began to shout. "Rubeus Hagrid, how could you be so… thoughtless!? Do you have any idea what you have done? Not only have you illegally bred a dragon, on school grounds I might add, but you have corrupted three first year students into being your co-conspirators. You have used your influence as a school official to turn three children into criminals, because you care more about your own selfish desires than the fates of the children you are supposed to care for! If you wanted to breed dragons illegally, then you should have done somewhere else and left the children out of it!"

Hagrid balked. "Poppy, it's not their fault. They tried to stop me! I'm even sending Norbert away in a few days!"

Poppy glared at Hagrid. "I don't care! More to the point, that should be the least of your concerns right now! I said that I need to treat the venom in Ronald Weasley's wound, and you are more concerned about me pointing out how you broke the law. You said it was Mr. Weasley who was to blame for being bitten, but that is a load of hippogriff dung! Mr. Weasley is a first-year student, with absolutely no training in dragon care. You put a child in a dangerous situation, a child who foolishly trusted you, and you are responsible for any harm that befell him. Are you so self-absorbed that you cannot even see that you did anything wrong!?"

"Poppy…"

"I AM NOT FINISHED! The absolute worse thing you did was not immediately take him to me for medical care. Your half-giant heritage provides you with a fair amount of immunity to toxins, but Mr. Weasley has none of that immunity. Norbert's venom had been lingering in Mr. Weasley's hand for days before he came to me. And he only came once the pain was overwhelming. He almost waited too long, all because he wanted to protect you! Had he waited even an hour longer, he would have likely lost his hand. Another six hours, and it would have been his life. SIX HOURS!"

Hagrid's skin paled, as his knees gave out. He collapsed onto his butt with a hut shaking loud thud. Norbert screeched in concern.

Poppy's eyes filled with a moment of concern, before they hardened again. She stopped yelling, but no warmth could be found in her voice. "Mr. Weasley will be fine. Severus always ensures I have powerful general-purpose antidotes, and that gives me a few days to get the proper antidote from Saint Mungo's Hospital. Now that I know the breed, I will have him on the mend in a couple of hours. As for you… I asked to talk to you first. I had hoped you didn't know Mr. Weasley was injured, or that he disobeyed your instructions to see me, or that you at least recognized you were at fault. But… you disappointed me."

Poppy shouted towards the door. "You can come in now."

A squad of aurors came in. They split up. One group stunned and caged Norbert, while the other group arrested Hagrid.

As a defeated Hagrid was led outside, he saw the form of a concerned Albus Dumbledore running down to meet him. He suspected that Dumbledore, great man though he was, would not be getting him out of this mess. Looking over at the caged Norbert, he spoke up. "Poppy, what're they goin' do with Norbert?"

Poppy's voice warmed slightly. "We are going to test him, to see if he is a carrier for Dragon Pox. If not, then he will be transferred to a Dragon Reserve. If he is…"

Her voice became like steel. "If he is a carrier, then you had better stop worrying about the dragon and pray that none of the children have been infected!"

As he was led off the school grounds, a depressed Hagrid prayed that little Norbert would be alright.


	2. Chapter 2 - I See No Difference

"I see no difference"

Those were the words that rung in Hermione's ears as she quickly made her way to the Hospital Wing. Her mouth was in agony as her teeth continued to grow from Malfoy's curse. But her humiliation dulled the pain.

Harry and Malfoy had gotten into one of their usual fights. Curses were flung, and Malfoy's curse had hit her by accident. As was normal, Professor Snape had swooped in to end the fight and punish Harry. But when Harry pointed out that Hermione's front teeth were growing at an alarming rate, already passing her collar, Professor Snape stared at her coldly and said those four words.

"I see no difference"

She was no stranger to insults. Her classmates frequently insulted her looks and her intelligence. The words hurt, but she pushed the pain and anger deep down and took the higher road.

Professor Snape often criticized her harshly for her eagerness in class. She didn't like it, but she understood that a Professor needed to be respected and that was how he maintained respect. She simply would push down the frustration and resolve to work even harder to show that she respected him.

This was different though. She had been attacked, and he didn't care. Not only did he not care, he insulted her appearance. He zeroed in on the one thing she was most self-conscious about, her buck teeth. He acted as if he thought they had always been 6 inches long. He was a professor! He was supposed to be a professional! She was a top student, and top students should not be insulted by professors!

Later that day, after having her teeth shrunk (and then some), she informed Professor McGonagall of the unprofessional conduct of the unprofessional Potions Professor. Her Head of House agreed that it had been unprofessional, and it would be addressed. Hermione pushed the embarrassment down, assumed that Professor Snape would apologize soon, and changed her focus back to helping both Harry with the first task and getting freedom for the House Elves.

* * *

Ronald Weasley was a jerk!

The Yule Ball had been tonight, and it was supposed to have been a wonderful night. Instead, Ronald Bilius Weasley had made a scene. He had spouted some nonsense about her being a traitor for going with Viktor, which was rich coming from the boy-child who had turned on Harry after selection of champions. He had ruined her first Ball ever! She had dressed up, her hair had been styled, and she got to show off her smaller teeth to the whole school. Tonight, was supposed to be a way for her to both have fun and show the school that she was more than just a brain. It started on such a high note, and now she was crying herself to sleep.

Thinking of her teeth and jerks, reminded her of four words.

"I see no difference"

Snape… Professor Snape had still not apologized. She hadn't thought on the incident since Professor McGonagall had promised to take care of the issue. Apparently, that had not been enough. Well, perhaps she should just raise the issue to the Headmaster. Yes, that would do the trick. She couldn't stop Ron "Big Jerk" Weasley from being a… big jerk, but she could at least count on the Headmaster to resolve the issue. He would fix it, and Professor Snape would apologize for those hurtful and unprofessional words.

The next day, she managed to get a few minutes of time with Headmaster Dumbledore, and he assured her that he would resolve the issue personally. She pushed the rage and resentment down and went back to worrying about helping Harry survive the Triwizard Tournament.

* * *

Hermione was furious.

The following months were horrible. Cedric Diggory was dead. Voldemort was alive. Harry was being tortured by Umbridge. Professor McGonagall and Headmaster Dumbledore were of no help. And now Snape was tormenting Harry with these so called "Occlumency Lessons".

At one point, Snape had her respect, but no longer. Headmaster Dumbledore expected Snape to overcome his hatred for James Potter, but the greasy git wasn't even willing to overcome his own pride to offer a simple apology for insulting the appearance of a wounded student. The bastard was supposed to be helping Harry, and yet it was blindingly obvious that he was harming her best friend. He was a wild animal, and it was clear that Dumbledore… Headmaster Dumbledore was unwilling to control the rabid beast.

As she tried to push down her rage once more, the lid holding back the catalog of negative emotions snapped from the strain. With the flood of emotions swelled in her brain, she achieved clarity.

There was only one solution. Hermione went to borrow Harry's invisibility cloak.

* * *

Severus Snape entered his office after another long day of teaching the simpletons that could be generously called students. He sat down at his desk to begin the tedious task of grading the thoughtless ramblings that constituted the bulk of the students' essays. He pulled out a tumbler and poured himself one small glass of Fire Whiskey, which he would nurse throughout the evening of torturous grading. He waved his wand over the drink to check for potions and poisons (one needs some paranoia when working as a spy). Satisfied that everything was safe, he pulled his quill from his desk drawer and began the grading.

After thirty minutes, his fingers began to tingle slightly. He associated it to tiredness and formed a tighter grip on his quill.

Five minutes later, and his fingers began to feel numb and the tingles had spread to his other digits. His mind was sluggish, so it took another few minutes for the symptoms to truly register. By that time, the tingles were covering every square inch of skin, and the numbness was spreading quickly.

Poison!

How!?

His extremities were nearly completely numb. He doubted he would be able to walk to the fireplace to get help. He needed an antidote, and he did not have the time to determine the correct one. His hands were almost like slabs of meat, but he could still barely move his arms. He reached for his desk drawer and managed to pull it open. There was his salvation!

No self-respecting Potions Master would find themselves too far away from a bezoar. Certainly, no person who regularly checked his food and drink for poisons would not have the handy poison cure-all (outside of curing rare poisons) nearby. Between two numb hands, he scooped up the disgusting stone-like item, and immediately shoved it into his mouth. Before he could swallow, Severus Snape had one last thought.

"What is that taste?"

Much to the detriment to the continued good health of Severus Snape, his paranoia hadn't extended to the point of checking to see if his quill was coated in a contact poison or if his bezoar had spent the previous night soaked in poison.

As a gloved hand reached out of thin air to remove the quill and bezoar, vanished the poisoned implements, and replaced them with clean copies, it was guaranteed that no one else's paranoia would extend to that point either.

* * *

The next day, at lunch, the bad news was revealed to the school. Severus Snape had passed the previous night.

As the student body reacted with varying degrees of sadness and restrained glee, a certain young prefect, known for her adherence to the rules, wore a look of shock on her face. Her eyes, though, twinkled with a combination of satisfaction and madness.

Her thoughts moved on to another individual, one who had proved unworthy of respect and harmed her best friend. When she compared that individual with Severus Snape, one thought formed in her head.

"I see no difference"


	3. Chapter 3 - No Sirius Love

AUTHOR NOTE – Set 5th year

"I'm proud of you Harry!"

Harry looked up at Sirius with confusion. "What for?"

Sirius smiled at his godson. It was amazingly pleasing to be able to sit freely in a Hogwarts classroom, talking to the young man who meant so much to him. And yet, here was, exonerated and free.

"You managed to see through Voldemort's lies, that's what! You had a vision of Arthur being bitten around Christmas, and your warning revealed it to be true. Without your warning, Arthur would have died. So, it would have been more than reasonable for you to believe the false vision of me being tortured. Instead of rushing off in a mad panic, you found Sniv… Snape, and told him about the vision. You kept a good head on your shoulders, and I am proud of you!"

Harry shrugged. "Oh… Alright."

Sirius huffed. "There is such a thing as being too modest, Harry. Come on, you can be happy about this. Because of your warning we were able to flip the trap and reveal Voldemort to the world. Heck, Dumbledore was even able to use his renewed popularity to question the captured Death Eaters and finally get me cleared. I shudder at how bad things could have gone if you had run off to save me."

Harry's indifferent expression remained unchanged. "I'm not being modest Sirius. I just don't think I did anything all that special."

Sirius stared at Harry in confusion. "How can you say that!? I think most any person who received a vision of a loved one being tortured wouldn't have been able to be calm about it or figure out that it was a false vision. Voldemort tried to trick you, and you saw through his lies. That… that IS special!"

Harry stared back at Sirius, and then lowered his face and closed his eyes. After a minute of silence, he mumbled something unintelligible.

"I didn't catch that, Harry. What did you say?"

Harry's eyes opened, and when he looked back into Sirius's eyes, Sirius was taken aback. The apathy was gone, but now there was a hardness there. In that moment, he was reminded of the look he had seen in Lily's eyes the day that Snivellus had called her a Mudblood. When Harry spoke, his voice was icy and devoid of passion.

"I said that Voldemort did trick me"

Sirius's throat felt dry as he replied. "What?"

"Voldemort did trick me. I was certain that you were being tortured and that you were going to be killed."

"But… you were so calm. Hermione says that you didn't even need to be convinced not to run off."

Harry snorted, but there was no humor there. "You said it yourself. It would be impossible to be calm about a loved one being tortured. You just assumed that I think of you as a loved one."

Sirius's eyes popped. "But… but you were in a panic about Arthur…"

Harry's brow furrowed in confusion. "Of course, I was! Mr. Weasley is like a… well not a father because he doesn't really treat me with that much care. He's like an uncle. We love each other like somewhat distant family."

"And you don't love me?"

Harry sighed. "Don't take it personally, Sirius. You just have not demonstrated any sort of real familial care for me. It's just who you are. I DO care about whether you live or die, but I'm not going to go crazy about it. To me, you're like Remus or… Shacklebolt."

"Harry… I'm your godfather! I love you!"

"Sirius…" Harry begun speaking, but then shook his head and stopped.

"Please, Harry, say what you were going to say."

Harry stared at Sirius for several long moments before taking another deep breath.

"Fine! It's hard for me to believe that you love me when I am clearly not that important to you. When my parents died, you abandoned me so that you could get your revenge. When you saw that Wormtail was still alive, you escaped Azkaban to kill him. You might claim you did it to protect me, but if that was true then you would have sent me a letter trying to at least warn me of the danger. Also, it's hard to forget how you tried to choke the life out of me when I first met you in the Shrieking Shack. No, your hunt for Wormtail was primarily about revenge for you, and I was a distant thought. Then, during my fourth year, when I wanted you to stay far away for my mental well-being, you ignored my wishes to be near me. That would have made sense if you were at all helpful to me that year, but all your help could have been given in letter format. This past summer, you obeyed Dumbledore and kept me in the dark at the Dursleys. Oh sure, you'll escape prison to kill Wormtail, but you won't disobey a schoolteacher and help me escape the Dursleys. That extended to you obeying orders and keeping me in the dark about the Order meetings. And, of course, the final nail in the coffin is that when I showed up at headquarters, you chose to sit through a pointless meeting instead of greeting me. Every time you have had a chance to choose between me and something else, you have consistently chosen something else. I mean, is there a chance to abandon me that you won't take?"

Sirius stared at Harry in shock. "But… I… You… You agreed to live with me!"

Harry rolled his eyes and stood up. "I'd almost choose living with the Malfoys over the Dursleys. You're not the Dursleys, and you likely won't try to kill me. That's good enough."

As Sirius sat staring into empty space, Harry walked to the doorway. He paused there.

"You know, it's kind of funny. You never directly helped me for the primary purpose of helping me. Remus taught me the Patronus charm, but that was his job. On my first train ride to Hogwarts, Wormtail bit one of Malfoy's cronies when they were trying to steal our candy, and it wasn't like he was expecting any real recognition for the act. If you are just counting unselfish helpful actions, Wormtail beats both you and Remus at a score of one to zero. You would imagine it would be easy to beat the one Marauder who actively killed my father and tortured me, but I guess my dad just had crappy taste in friends."

As Harry put his hand on the door, he spoke again. "Well, I guess I can give you one pity point. If you hadn't actively worked to destroy our relationship, I may have got hurt trying to save you. Here's hoping Wormtail doesn't do something else nice for me this summer and regains his lead. I'll see you at headquarters, Sirius."

As the door closed, a shocked Sirius sat there in the dark. It would be a long time before he noticed the door was closed, the darkness of the room, or the tears rolling down his cheeks.


	4. Chapter 4 - Expelled-iarmus

AUTHOR NOTE – Book 2

Severus Snape was in an exceptionally good mood. He had just managed to take the Potter brat down a few pegs, and all before his first Potions class of the year with the devil spawn. Oh, he knew that he wasn't lucky enough to be done with the boy permanently, but he allowed himself to revel in the thought. The joy would last until Dumbledore pulled whatever strings he needed to ensure his precious golden child was kept safe.

As he made his way to Dumbledore's office, he strengthened his occlumency shields. He needed to hide his joy, and make sure he looked appropriately contrite when the old man expressed his disappointment. He wondered if Dumbledore would take the approach of saying "you must let go of your grudge" or the classic "allowances must be made for Harry".

"Come in Severus" called Dumbledore from the other side of the office door.

"You wanted to see me Headmaster?"

Dumbledore looked up tiredly. "Indeed. Would you care to explain your actions?"

Severus held back on his desire to smirk. "Which actions would those be, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore stared intensely at Severus, before finally leaning back in his chair. When he spoke, his tone contained a weariness that Severus had not heard since the war.

"I have just finished talking with the Board of Governors. Apparently, they have voted to expel Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley from Hogwarts. I was informed that they decided this based on the insistence of both Lucius Malfoy and you. It was decided that the boys' flying of a car in London was sufficient reason to see them expelled from the school. Minerva was already contacted by Lucius, so the boys were informed of the verdict before I was. Now, I know I made myself clear that they were to receive detentions and a severe warning, but you took it upon yourself to go over my head. Now, I repeat, would you care to explain your actions?"

Severus sneered. "I know that you believe precious Potter needs to be coddled, but I felt that we would inflate his sense of ego too much if we let him get away with such a flagrant violation of the Statute of Secrecy. The boy needs to know that his stupid actions have consequences, and I appear to be the only one willing to show him that. Not that it truly matters. You will pull some strings and he will come back to the school before I can become accustomed to his absence. I just hope that this incident will manage to puncture his oversized ego."

As Severus awaited the typical Dumbledore plea for learning forgiveness, he noted that the portraits in the office were oddly empty of their occupants.

"Were it just the Board of Governors, then perhaps I could… pull strings. However, Lucius was very thorough, and he has already convinced Minister Fudge to make an example of the boys. I am expecting a troupe of aurors to arrive within the hour to arrest Harry and Ronald."

Severus was shocked. He reinforced his occlumency shields yet again, lest he show how giddy he felt. "Well, I am sure that the precious Boy-Who-Lived will get away with a slap on the wrist. As for Weasley, that's no great loss. Perhaps Molly Weasley will appreciate the money they will save without an extra mouth to…"

Severus did not complete his sentence, as he was too busy being slammed into the wall by a wave of magic. After overcoming that shock, he was disinclined to continue his insulting tirade, as his mouth had been sealed shut and his body stuck to the wall. It was at this point that he was reminded of why Albus Dumbledore was the only one the Dark Lord had ever feared.

* * *

Albus looked into the panicked eyes of Snape and sighed.

"I had truly hoped that you could somehow mature past the point of being a petty 13-year-old child. I had even allowed myself to believe that your outward immaturity was all an act to keep in good standing with the Death Eaters. I wanted to believe that no one could be that small-minded, that actively incompetent at teaching, that needlessly cruel. But I was wrong to believe any of that, wasn't I?"

Albus stood up and walked slowly towards Snape.

"For the longest time, I thought it was all an act. How you strutted around the school, how you bullied the children for what house they were in, how you used the Slytherins as your minions to support your mean-spirited 'pranks'. It was like watching someone choosing to take on all the worst qualities of a young James Potter and his friends and then amplifying those qualities to ridiculous levels. I honestly couldn't believe that you would subconsciously become your stated stereotype of James, I was sure it had to be a conscious act. But, sadly, it wasn't an act. I am baffled that a man as intelligent as yourself could possibly miss that transformation."

Albus ignored the shock and outrage filling Snape's eyes as he walked over to an unremarkable spot on the wall, tapping it to reveal a hidden cabinet. He began to work with the items in the cabinet.

"Of course, I knew that you would have a problem with Harry. He's a reminder that you destroyed your relationship with Lily, and your enemy won her affections. However, I had hoped that you would recognize that abusing Lily's son is the same thing as spitting on her grave. I should have known better. I should have recognized that you were in love with the idea of Lily, but not in love with the actual woman. My optimism tends to bite me in most uncomfortable ways. Unfortunately, Harry and Ronald are paying the price this time."

Albus walked over to Snape, carrying a vial of red liquid and a green pulsing stone.

"As for the current predicament, I blame myself. I gave you too much freedom in how you ingratiated yourself with the Death Eaters. You knew your place in my plans for defeating Voldemort, and I let you become arrogant with the knowledge you had my protection. I ignored your incompetence as a teacher. I ignored your bullying. I ignored how you made a mockery of the points system. I should have reined you in. I let you believe that there was no limit to my protection. I am sorry about that, as there were limits, and you ran well past those limits before I could stop you."

Albus placed the green pulsing stone on Snape's forehead, where it stuck fast.

"You have left me in the unfortunate situation where I have only one chance to exonerate Harry. Someone else needs to take the blame. And since I can no longer trust you, you no longer can have a prominent place in my plans, and hence you have been volunteered. When the aurors arrive, you will have a clear memory of casting the appropriate spells that caused the boys to believe they couldn't go through the barrier at King's Cross Station and convinced them to fly the car to Hogwarts. Luckily your well documented hatred of Harry offers a ready-made motive."

Albus looked into Snape's eyes and saw a sense of smugness. He smiled sadly as he uncorked the vial of red liquid.

"I know what you are thinking. It is nearly impossible to insert a fake memory into a person that will pass professional inspections. Your skill in occlumency changes that to a certain impossibility, and there is no potion that can change that simple fact. Luckily, if one is exceptionally skilled in alchemy and is aware of a certain use for dragon's blood which I never shared, then the impossibility becomes a quite possible."

Snape watched in horror as he watched Albus levitate four drops of dragon's blood out of the vial. He couldn't see the intricate patterns that were applied to the stone, nor did he feel the stone melt into his forehead and disappear without a trace.

"I am sorry about this Severus. When the aurors arrive, I will have to regretfully remove my protection and allow them to prosecute you for your crimes as a Death Eater. If it makes you feel any better, you will have a subconscious overwhelming desire to insult Voldemort to his face. You need not worry about being corrupted into rejoining the man who killed Lily. Your part in this war has come to an end."

Albus waved his wand, and Snape felt his mouth unseal.

* * *

Severus was still in shock, so he didn't immediately speak.

"Well, Severus, once I cast this, you will obviously forget this conversation. You will remember walking into my office and accidentally revealing that you framed Harry and Ronald, at which point I stunned you. Do you have anything you want to say before we part ways?"

Fear coursed through Severus's blood. He had long since stopped being too proud to beg. He knew what memories the Dementors would use for his torment. He never would bother begging with the Dark Lord, but Dumbledore was all about forgiveness. This couldn't be happening! "Please, Headmaster… Albus, you don't need to do this! I'll change! I'll treat Potter like a son if you want! I'll have Lucius call off Fudge. We can spin this in a way that will make me an even more effective spy. Please!"

Dumbledore's expression grew softer. "I'm sorry Severus. If it had just been Harry, then maybe we could have tried that. I could have used Harry's fame to save him. But you included Ronald in your plots, a boy that Harry considers to be a brother. Harry is not one to lightly forgive those who attack his chosen family. If you go free, Harry will never trust me. If he sees that I have taken you down, he will be more inclined to trust me. And I need him to trust me."

Anger flashed in Severus's eyes. "You need him to trust you? Well, when the Dark Lord returns, you will need me to be your spy!"

Dumbledore sadly shook his head, as he placed his wand tip on Severus's forehead.

"It appears I failed you again. I had just assumed you understood. I desperately wanted you to be a spy in Voldemort's ranks, that would have been immensely useful. But Harry is needed to achieve final victory. You have forced me to choose between what I want and what I need. In this war, I will always choose my needs over my wants. Goodbye Severus."

The next thing he knew, Severus Snape was waking up in the Headmaster's office, wondering how he could be so stupid as to let slip that he had framed the Potter brat. It was only after he loudly cursed his stupidity that he noted the presence of the aurors and Minister Fudge. They did not look overly friendly.


	5. Chapter 5 - Caring for Crookshanks

AUTHOR NOTE – Set in Book 3

Ronald Weasley, growing up with so many siblings, learned one primary rule very early on. Do not tell on each other! No matter what his sister did to him, or how the twins tormented him, or the collateral damage he received when Charlie and Bill had their minor duels, you DO NOT go to an adult. If you have a problem, you resolve it yourself.

Had he been aware of the phrase, he would have agreed completely with the idea of "snitches get stitches". Not that he would understand the phrase, as he would be curious what "stitches" were and why they would be given to quidditch equipment.

Still, it was a lesson that was so ingrained, that it was almost instinctive. The lesson had transferred to his school career. He would never go to a teacher when he had a problem with a classmate, because it was just not done. Oh, sure, if someone was actively blabbing to a teacher to get him or his friends in trouble, he would respond in kind in the heat of the moment. But he would never go to a teacher in cold blood.

This was one thing Hermione didn't really understand about him. She never really understood that her lie to McGonagall after the troll incident was what had earned his friendship. That lie let him see her as a fellow child and not just a mini-Percy. As such, she didn't understand the damage she had done during the Firebolt incident. She thought that he was solely upset about the Firebolt, when she blabbed to McGonagall about Harry receiving a broomstick from an unknown sender. Certainly, the idea of the broom being stripped was offensive to him, but he was more upset about Hermione breaking the primary rule of friends and family (not that he had truly examined his own emotions to realize this fact).

And then, just now, she had threatened to tell McGonagall about the map if they followed through with their plans for Harry to sneak out to Hogsmeade. She wasn't threatening to tell about Harry sneaking out, she was threatening to tell about the map. Not only was she threatening to break the primary rule, she was threatening to once again take something away from Harry. It wasn't like the map was dangerous, it wasn't like Ginny's diary. She was once again breaking the rules of friendship to steal from someone she claimed was a friend!

But, was she still a friend? Her cat had killed Scabbers, and she refused to apologize for it. Earlier in the day, Hagrid had made him feel guilty for being upset. But that didn't make sense. Hagrid was upset about Buckbeak possible execution, so why couldn't he be upset about his own pet's actual death? At least Malfoy was willing to take credit for trying to kill Buckbeak. Hermione was unwilling to admit that her cat had killed Scabbers. Did she think that Scabbers had faked his death and framed her cat?

As he thought on it, Hagrid's guilt trip became increasingly ineffective. He kept asking himself if Hermione was still his friend. Was she Harry's friend? No, she wasn't really their friend anymore. She was hiding something from them about how she was in so many classes, and she kept lying to them about it. She kept breaking the rules of friendship. She was acting like… like his mom. She wasn't trying to convince them that she was right. She was simply telling them to obey her, or else! She was mini-Percy again. She had declared that rules of friendship no longer apply to her, and so she was no longer a friend.

Had he allowed himself to sleep on things, he likely would have changed his mind. However, he was too wrapped up in his anger to contemplate calming down. That is why he found himself knocking on the door to McGonagall's office. After all, why should he follow the primary rule when she refused to follow it herself?

* * *

Hermione Granger was exhausted, as was normal for her this year, and nervous as she knocked on the door to Professor McGonagall's office. She knew she hadn't done anything wrong, but she couldn't help but feel nervous whenever called to a professor's office. The nerves did not lessen when she looked up at Professor McGonagall and her thinned lips. Hermione was used to her favorite professor having a barely distinguishable smile.

"Ah, Miss Granger, please come in and take a seat"

Hermione obeyed, taking the seat in front of the professor's desk. She waited patiently as the professor took her seat.

"Miss Granger, I have received a complaint about your pet cat"

"Crookshanks? What could he possibly have… is this about Ron's rat, Scabbers?"

"Why would this be about Mister Weasley's pet?"

Hermione huffed lightly in irritation. "Ron thinks that Crookshanks killed Scabbers. But there is absolutely no proof to support that accusation!"

Professor McGonagall's eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you certain about there being no proof?"

Hermione's eyes widened in concern. "Well… from a certain viewpoint, there is some circumstantial evidence. But he has no concrete proof… Professor"

"I am told that Crookshanks has attacked Scabbers on multiple occasions. Additionally, Mister Weasley discovered a blood stain on his sheets where Scabbers was last seen sleeping along with several hairs matching those found on Crookshanks. He has not seen his pet since that last incident. Do you dispute those facts?"

"Well… no. But Ron thinks Crookshanks has it out for Scabbers. That's ridiculous!"

Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Has Crookshanks been attacking the pets of other people?"

"Of course not!"

"And has Crookshanks attacked the body of Mister Weasley when he was holding Scabbers, with the evident end goal of attacking Scabbers?"

"Well… yes…"

"Miss Granger, it is plainly evident that Crookshanks was solely focused on attacking Scabbers. While Mister Weasley might be going overboard anthropomorphizing your pets to the point of having human motives, his general assertion seems to be accurate. Crookshanks has a demonstrated violent fixation on Scabbers, and the evidence points strongly to your pet having killed the pet of another student."

Hermione was trying to hold back the panic creeping into her heart. "But… Ron could have protected Scabbers better! Assuming Crookshanks ate Scabbers, for argument's sake only, cats eat rats. You can't hold Crookshanks responsible for doing what cats naturally do!"

Professor McGonagall's face became much sterner. "I was informed that before you even purchased Crookshanks, you observed him attacking both Mister Weasley and his pet. Also, that Crookshanks attacked Mister Weasley when Scabbers was held in his front pocket, resulting in Mister Weasley being mauled. Additionally, on Christmas morning you brought Crookshanks into Mister Weasley's bedroom and ignored the subsequent demands of Mister Weasley to take your pet away. You then released Crookshanks so that he could roam freely within the room, which quickly resulted in another attack. Are these accurate stories?"

"…yes, they are"

"Then what else should Mister Weasley have done to protect his pet?"

"He could have put Scabbers in a cage…"

"And you could have put Crookshanks in a cage, which would have been more fitting as your pet has been clearly violently aggressive from before you purchased him. As for blaming Crookshanks… I don't blame him for his actions. I blame you."

The panic nearly overwhelmed Hermione. "What!?"

"He is your pet, Miss Granger. You are responsible for the actions of your pet and are required to ensure its good behavior. Were this a simple case of an unforeseen attack, then there would be less of a problem. In this case, however, not only has your pet attacked another pet on multiple occasions, he has also attacked and mauled another student on multiple occasions. If he wanted to, Mister Weasley could file a legal complaint that would easily result in putting down Crookshanks."

"He could have Crookshanks killed!?"

"At a minimum, Miss Granger. Crookshanks attacked a child on multiple occasions, and that is something that is not taken lightly. Indeed, I believe Crookshanks might be in similar danger even in the muggle world. There would likely be legal repercussions for you as well. Probably it would be a sizable fine, but it could be… much worse."

Hermione felt numb and could not respond.

"Luckily, Mister Weasley said that he would be satisfied with whatever punishment I devised."

Hermione nodded weakly.

"First, you will have two weeks to arrange alternate lodgings for your pet. I assume that will be with your parents, which is part of the reason you are being given so much time. Regardless of the arrangement, he will be leaving the castle by the deadline. I will work with you for arranging safe transport and will even deliver him myself if needed. You will also be serving one week of detention."

Hermione held back her tears, though they glistened in her eyes.

"Miss Granger, I must say that I am deeply disappointed that you steadfastly refused to accept responsibility for your actions. You were aware that your pet had violent tendencies, and you refused to do anything to keep him under control. Not only that, you actively bypassed the protections that were put into place to protect the Mister Weasley's pet. Just now, you expressed that it was Mister Weasley's fault for not protecting his pet even more vigorously from the inevitable attacks that your cat was sure to perform. At the beginning of the year, I entrusted you with a Time Turner so you could attend all of your electives. I gave that to you because I trusted in your sense of responsibility. Given this new information, I fear that trust was misplaced. Please hand over the time turner."

Hermione slowly removed the Time Turner from her neck and handed it over. Her cheeks glistening. This was so unfair!

"Thank you. I will drop you from Muggle Studies and provide you with a new schedule tomorrow morning at breakfast. On a final note, you should know that I expect my prefects to show respect for both the rules, and the safety of the students. The fact you are responsible for continuously harming Mister Weasley gives me concerns about whether you would be a good fit for the position. If that is a role you desire, you will need to work hard to re-earn my trust and prove to me that you are truly prefect material."

Hermione looked up in shock at Professor McGonagall. This was too much! She was losing her dear pet, her time turner, her classes, and now her future as a prefect? All because of Ron's lousy rat!? Oh, and probably that stupid broomstick that Harry needed so he could play that dangerous and pointless game! That petty, little, poor excuse for a person was taking everything from her, and McGonagall thought she should feel grateful because the walking stomach was not going to kill Crookshanks! After everything she had done for him, and this how he thanks her!? How dare he!?

Ronald Bilius Weasley will pay!

Hermione reeled in her anger, forced a look of contriteness and concern on her face, and looked into Professor McGonagall's eyes with all the innocence she could muster.

"Professor, I promise I will earn your trust. I understand what you have said, and I take complete responsibility for what has happened. And, in the spirit of caring for the safety of the students, I think I need to tell you something for Harry's own safety. You see, there's this map…"


	6. Chapter 6 - Truly Unforgivable

Barty Crouch Jr, disguised as Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody, was incredibly pleased with himself. He had successfully infiltrated Hogwarts, completely fooled the senile old fool Dumbledore, and soon the time would arrive when he could enter Harry Potter into the Triwizard Tournament. He just wished that he was permitted to kill that damned traitor Karkaroff (who was due to arrive in two days). He took solace in the certain knowledge that all the Dark Lord's enemies would pay.

To a certain degree, he was even enjoying his job as Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was galling to have to teach the mudbloods and half-bloods, but he could overlook that with the knowledge that proper purebloods were getting a quality education for a change. The unworthy would be wiped clean.

A more vicious part of him reveled in his most recent class, when he cast the Imperious curse on the children (as part of a lesson on the Unforgivable Curses). He barely held back his gleeful laughter as he humiliated every mudblood, half-blood, blood traitor, and child of a Death Eater who denied the Dark Lord in exchange for freedom. He was disappointed that Potter was able to resist the curse, but he supposed that no normal child would be able to defy the Dark Lord (though the boy would certainly get plenty of torment during the Tournament and his rightful punishment from the Dark Lord himself).

For now, he pushed all these thoughts away. He had been summoned to Dumbledore's office, and it wouldn't do to give the game away. As he stumped in through the doorway, he was curious as to why McGonagall was standing beside Dumbledore. Taking a quick swig of Polyjuice Potion from his flask, he focused on his Moody act.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was tired. He had been working so long on the preparations for the Tournament, that he did not have the time to deal with baseless rumors. Of course, Minerva was also feeling stressed and so she had decided to talk to the subject of the rumors, instead of just ignoring them as she would normally have been inclined to do. Honestly, this meeting was going to be a pointless waste of time for everyone. Still, ignoring Minerva promised to result in even more aggravation, and hence the meeting was going forward.

"Ah, welcome Alastor. Please, have a seat. Care for a lemon drop?"

True to form, Alastor ignored the lemon drops and chose to stand in the corner instead of taking a seat. The man's paranoia was simultaneously comfortingly familiar and slightly irritating. Albus knew the offers would be ignored, but manners cost nothing.

"What do you want Albus? I have papers to grade and security inspections to make."

Albus smiled. He always enjoyed Alastor's direct approach, and how the man seemed to aim for the gruffest possible way to express himself.

"I do apologize, Alastor, however Minerva has heard some rumors that she found concerning."

Alastor huffed, irritated.

Albus chuckled. "Yes, I know. The only thing faster than the spread of a rumor is how quickly it gets perverted from truth to falsehood. Still, clarity is required. The rumors are regarding your recent lessons involving teaching the Unforgivable Curses to the fourth-year students."

Alastor raised an eyebrow. "As I recall, you were the one who requested I ignore Ministry policy and teach them early."

Albus nodded. "Yes, I do recall. I still stand by that decision, and I assure you that I am very willing to take on the full brunt of any complaints that may arise. I agree that the fourth years are fully capable of learning about them. Out of curiosity, what sort of stories did you tell to emphasize the dangers?"

Alastor huffed in amusement. "Stories!? Nothing teaches better that a live demonstration. You know that! I demonstrated the curses on a spider, so they could truly understand."

Minerva sputtered in surprise. "You mean, you actually cast those… right in front of the students you cast those… vile spells!?"

"It was a might more effective than some picture book! I can tell you that!"

"Moody, how could you possibly think that…"

"Minerva!" Albus spoke up to interrupt his deputy. "I am sure that Alastor meant well, and I suppose that I was not clear in my intentions. Alastor, in the future, you should avoid a demonstration like that for anyone below seventh year. However, I want to assure you that you still have my full support."

"Sorry Albus. I wasn't aware you were looking for half-assed lessons."

Albus spoke over the beginning of a rant from Minerva, hoping to avoid a confrontation. "I wouldn't put it that way, Alastor. I do appreciate your acknowledgement though. Before we end this meeting, were there any more… practical demonstrations?"

Alastor rolled his one good eye. "I'm guessing the rumor was about Potter being able to throw off the Imperious I cast on him? Well, the rumor is true, the boy has some real potential."

Albus held up his hand, hoping Minerva would not speak up. He stared at Alastor for a long minute. When he finally spoke again, he ensured his voice was calm.

"I am happy to hear that Harry has such mental fortitude. How did the other students fare?"

Alastor grinned, stretching the scars on his face into a disturbing visage. "None as good as Potter. Some got very close to fighting it, but most were nowhere close. No one else succeeded in throwing it off. I think they have some more work to do."

"Of course. It would be shocking for even on fourth year student to be able throw off such a curse, two doing it would be astounding. Did any students complain or choose not to volunteer?"

Alastor chuckled. "Granger protested. When I told her than she and anyone else was free to leave if they wanted, she backed down."

Albus closed and rubbed his eyes. Apparently, the rumors had been true. He did not need this right now.

After a sigh, he opened his eyes and looked back at Alastor.

"Alastor… how could you do something so reckless? You cast an Unforgivable on multiple children! Are you insane?"

Alastor's real eye widened, as his fake started to spin around wildly. "They could have opted-out, Albus. I didn't force them."

Minerva spoke up, no longer willing to be quiet. "Damn it, Moody, they are fourth year students. Of course, they didn't walk out of the class. I use that trick all the time to shame students into volunteering to do something they don't want to do. But, even without that trick, they aren't old enough to volunteer to have an Unforgivable cast on them. For Merlin's sake, they aren't old enough to go to Hogsmeade without parental consent!"

"Well… Albus should have been clearer about my restrictions!"

Albus looked at Alastor with incredulity. "Alastor, you were a Senior Auror. You should know better than most how difficult it was to get the Wizengamot to allow the use of those spells against Voldemort and his followers. And those exemptions required years of war and intense lobbying, and I was opposed to them being granted. I assure you that no one has ever lobbied for an exemption for Hogwarts professors to cast the Unforgivable Curses on innocent children!"

Alastor gulped nervously. "So, you're firing me then?"

"Firing you? Alastor, you know the law. Casting one of those spells on a human is a mandatory life sentence. You just admitted to casting it on dozens of children."

"What!? But you told me to teach them…"

"Yes, I told you to TEACH them! When Severus teaches students about poisons, he may threaten the children, but he is not so stupid as to follow through on the threat of poisoning them. You can teach how to defend oneself from the Dark Arks without using the Dark Arts! I dread to hear what your plans where for further your lessons on the Killing Curse. I would never tell you to cast those spells on the students!

"And, even if I had told you to cast the Imperious on the student, I certainly don't have the authority to grant such an exception. I don't even have the authority to force reopening cases where there are provable miscarriages of justice. A Chief Warlock doesn't have anywhere near that level of authority. You really should know all of this!"

Sweat was pouring down Alastor's face. "Can't we keep this quiet, for old time's sake?"

Albus sighed. "Alastor… even if I were inclined to do such a thing, Minerva has already made it clear that she would contact the DMLE if the rumors were true. I truly am sorry, old friend. I will do what I can to help during your trial. Minerva, I think you should make the call now."

Alastor licked his lips as he saw Minerva start to turn to the fireplace. "No!" He pointed his wand at Albus. "Avada…"

Two extremely powerful stunners knocked the man out.

* * *

Barty Crouch Jr. groaned in confusion as he regained consciousness. He opened his eyes to blearily take in the ceiling of the Headmaster's office.

The voice of Albus Dumbledore intruded. "Ah, Barty, you're awake. I fear you may feel a bit of pain. You were powerfully tied up as we were talking with the Aurors. We had felt it best to keep you stunned until they were ready to talk with you. Unfortunately, the interview took longer than the remaining time on your Polyjuice Potion and the bindings prevented your real leg from pushing away Alastor's fake leg. Your leg is now, sadly, quite mangled."

At this point, the pain started to make itself known. Dumbledore continued speaking. "As luck would have it, Severus happens to have a supply of Ministry-certified Veritaserum potion and Madame Bones has consented to beginning your interrogation in my office. This is so that we might be able to quickly find the real Alastor Moody, who I pray is still alive. I'm sure she will have plenty of other questions after we settle with that and any pertinent Hogwarts business. It is fortunate you are both legally dead and inside of the time frame of your sentence at Azkaban, or else there would be much more bureaucracy to deal with before giving you this potion. Madame Bones, whenever you are ready…"

As Barty felt the first drop of truth serum touch his tongue, he couldn't help but think that he really shouldn't have indulged in his more vicious impulses. He also doubted that his Dark Lord would be overly forgiving.


	7. Chapter 7 - Hermione and Rita

AUTHOR NOTE – Set at end of Year Four

Hermione Granger walked into her house and released a soul weary sigh. She had just completed her fourth year at Hogwarts, and it had been awful. Certainly, it had been worse for Harry. It was ALWAYS worse for Harry. She sometimes doubted her friend could manage a trip to the loo without discovering at least two different plots involving his demise.

Sadly, she knew the upcoming year was only going to be worse. You-Know-Who was back. She didn't know how the world would change, but it was bound to do so.

She looked at her parents, envying their ignorance. She had decided before coming home that she would keep the truth from them. They had nearly had a panic attack when they heard about the troll incident in first year and had been wary of the magical world ever since. Hermione didn't like keeping them in the dark, but it was for their own good.

As she left her trunk at foot of the stairs, she made her way up to her room. She smiled at the one bright point of the year. She had effectively neutralized Rita Skeeter. That poor excuse for a journalist who wrote scandalous lies to sell papers. The horrid woman had made poor Harry's life even more miserable this year. But Hermione had discovered that the woman was an unregistered beetle animagus. With the threat of Azkaban over the reporter's head, Hermione had ensured there would be no more articles written by the woman for the next year.

Hermione entered her room, closed the door, and froze when someone spoke.

"Hello Hermione."

Hermione turned to see Rita Skeeter standing in her bedroom.

"Rita, what are you doing here?"

Rita smiled coldly. "Can't a blackmail victim just drop in to say hi to her blackmailer? I love your room, by the way. The walls full of bookshelves is exactly what I pictured for you."

Hermione's jaw clenched. "Why are you here, Rita?"

Rita looked from the bookshelves and back to Hermione. "I've come to give you a chance to walk away from your threats, my dear girl. It's one thing to blackmail your friends with the threat of not helping them with their homework, it's another thing to blackmail an adult who doesn't share a caring relationship with you. So, I am giving you this one opportunity to realize you are in over your head. Just recant and let me off the leash, and we walk away from each other without any hard feelings."

Hermione crossed her arms across her chest and smirked. "I think I know what I'm doing Rita, and the terms still stand. As long as you keep quiet for the next year, I will keep quiet about your illegal animagus form. If you decide to 'slip your leash', then you'll get to answer some uncomfortable questions with the DMLE."

Rita silently stared into Hermione's eyes for a full minute. Hermione remained resolute, refusing to break or give in even slightly.

Rita finally chuckled, causing Hermione to frown. "I like you Hermione. You're like a younger version of me."

"What!?"

Rita pulled out Hermione's desk chair and sat down in relaxed pose. "When I was your age, I was also academically inclined. And, like you, I had a great deal of faith in authority figures which didn't truly die until I saw the rich and powerful walk free from the last war. And, just like you, I didn't have a lick of common sense."

Hermione felt her temper begin to boil and forced herself to talk calmly. "I have plenty of common sense."

Rita smiled like an indulgent teacher. "Oh? Tell me, Hermione, what are you using as your blackmail material against me?"

Hermione frowned in confusion. "The fact that you are an illegal animagus."

"And it's vitally important to me that information remains private, right?"

"…right."

"And who knows about my illegal form?"

"Me, Harry, and Ron"

"And?"

Hermione's frown deepened in thought. "Well… Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins. But they hardly would care about you breaking the law."

Rita's smile didn't diminish. "Certainly, they don't care. But you're missing the important point. Who told those Slytherins that I am an animagus?"

Hermione paused. "… you?"

"Yes. Now, use that common sense you claim to have. What does that tell you?"

Hermione felt her heart drop into her stomach, as her mind started to put together the connections. "That means… you're not overly careful about who knows your secret… which means… you have some reason not to be worried about the secret getting out."

Rita clapped softly. "Very good! The rich and powerful know who I am, and they know how they can use me. I have made a career of being useful, and especially to those I learned were the true power brokers of our world. While my animagus form is helpful, it is not critical. I already have a backup plan in place to ensure my registration form will be backdated appropriately, if worse comes to worse. I have made myself too useful and have too much dirt on the powerful to be subject to punishment for such an innocuous crime."

Hermione's face morphed into one of pure horror. "But… that's not right! What you are doing is illegal! The DMLE wouldn't let you walk free."

Rita smirked. "Oh, you are precious. Even after everything you have seen, you still believe that our justice system is even remotely fair. Hermione, the law only applies to the poor and powerless. For people like me, it is simply the start of a negotiation. Oh, people like Bones hate it, but they wouldn't bother risking their careers for someone like me. I doubt they would even raise a fuss if the Minister decided to bring in young Harry on trumped up charged. Then again, it's in your best interest that I don't get arrested."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hmmm… let's see. Since you found me out, you have committed kidnapping, false imprisonment, blackmailing, and attempted murder at a stretch. Not to mention you becoming an accessory to my crime of being an illegal animagus. If I go down, you go down with me."

Hermione sputtered. "I… that's not… I never attempted to murder you!"

"You held me in an unbreakable jar which could have killed me if I attempted to escape your vile clutches."

Hermione felt her knees go weak as she collapsed down on the floor against her door.

"What are you going to do to me?"

Rita stood, walked slowly over to Hermione, and kneeled to look her in the eye.

"Nothing."

Hermione's eyes widened in shock. "Nothing?"

The warmth never left Rita's voice. "I like you Hermione. I really do. I was impressed that you were still willing to fight me after I fired that warning shot at you for insulting me."

"Warning shot? You mean the article where you said I was leading on Harry and Viktor?"

"That's the one. It was one of my mildest warnings."

"People sent me hate mail and one letter was full of bubotuber pus. It took a full day to get the boils and swelling to go down."

Rita smirked. "Hermione, you are a Muggleborn witch who has made enemies with the children of very powerful people, I could have done much worse."

"How?"

Rita shrugged. "Well, back then I could have likely gotten you expelled with two or three articles. Now… I could have you in Azkaban or executed within two articles."

Hermione's heart raced as she looked into Rita's eyes. She barely croaked out a response. "Executed?"

"Well, execution is not likely. The first article would be stating that you had used your influence over Harry to convince him to believe the lie you created that he had really seen You-Know-Who get resurrected. You of course made up the lie because of your well-known rage over House Elf treatment, with the goal of using Harry to overthrow the Ministry. The second article would be two weeks later, wondering why the Ministry was allowing a seditious person like you to wander around free, corrupting the poor Boy-Who-Lived."

"… that's ridiculous."

"Yes, it is, but it would also allow the Ministry to avoid the tougher task of vilifying the Boy-Who-Lived. It would have the bonus of nullifying all of Harry's protests as being the product of the manipulations of that villainous Muggleborn. Every time he spoke in your defense, it would make people pity him further and despise you even more."

Hermione dropped her head into her hands. "Then, why don't you do it?"

Rita sighed. "There are… three… no, four reasons. The first reason is that I am not evil. I won't intentionally setup a good person for Azkaban for something so minor as trying to blackmail me. And I do know that you are good person."

Hermione barked out a mirthless laugh.

"The second reason is that there is no joy in destroying the life of a teenager. Especially one that I outclass so greatly. I would much rather you mature more and become a worthy opponent."

Hermione held her tongue.

"Third, I honestly do like you. I admire that you went for the big play, even though it failed you so badly. You are a Muggleborn witch in a Pureblood wizard's world, and I want to see what you can do with that cutthroat attitude."

Hermione grimaced at the description.

"And, most importantly, I believe Harry."

Hermione looked back up at Rita and saw hints of concern.

"You believe Harry?"

Rita huffed. "Of course! Simply because I lie in my articles does not mean I don't know how to recognize the truth. It's a lot easier to wrap lies in the truth, after all. You-Know-Who is back, and you are clearly going to be a part of the fight. I would prefer You-Know-Who lost the upcoming war. Then again, I don't want to die, so I am going to need to remain on the fence. Which is why I am going along with your plan."

"… what?"

"The younger Malfoy thinks I am being blackmailed by you, which means that the actually important Malfoy will think I am being blackmailed, which gives me cover. I can get away with writing a truthful account of young Harry's experience in the graveyard after I have been quiet for an acceptable number of months, especially if dress for the interview like I am hungry and desperate. That way you can get some strategic good press for Harry while the Ministry is tearing him apart. When the year is up… I'll see how the wind is blowing."

Hermione frowned. "So, you 'let me' blackmail you, and that let's you sit on the fence for the war."

Rita smiled. "Exactly! I may even start work on writing a book while I am on my sabbatical."

"And if I don't get you that interview with Harry?"

Rita's smile became decidedly frostier. "That would be… unfortunate for you."

"How can you live with yourself?"

"By ensuring I continue to live. I'm glad we have an understanding, Hermione. It's so nice working with intelligent people for a change. I wish you luck in the war and look forward to that interview with Harry."

With that, Rita transformed into a water beetle and flew out the window. It would take another hour for Hermione to stand up from her position on the floor.


	8. Chapter 8 - Ton Tongue Toffee

AUTHOR NOTE – Set in Book 4. Be warned that this gets very dark and unhappy.

Fred and George waited eagerly for Harry to arrive. They had just come from his house, where they had "accidentally" forgot one of their Ton-Tongue Toffees on the floor. If Harry's cousin, Dudley, lived up to Harry's stories, then he had probably gobbled it up right away. They had seen him catch sight of the candy on the floor, right before they took the Floo back home. They had wished they could have stayed to see the results first-hand.

Harry came tumbling out of the fireplace, managing to catch himself before landing face first. Fred went to help Harry up. As Harry grabbed his hand, Fred excitedly asked, "did he eat it?"

Harry frowned in confusion. "Eat what?"

Fred shared a look with George, George shrugged in response.

George helped to dust off Harry as he answered. "Nothing, Harrikins. We're just trying out new ways to say, 'welcome to our home'. Should we put 'did he eat it?' down as a maybe?"

Harry chuckled as he shook his head in amusement. When Mister Weasley arrived shortly afterwards, seemingly unperturbed, the twins assumed the candy had been a dud. An hour later, they noticed they had accidentally left a second candy on the floor of the Dursley house (leaving this one having been an actual accident). That was slightly annoying, but the batch was faulty anyway, so not a big loss.

* * *

Dudley relaxed when he saw the adult freak finish fixing the house and finally leave.

Ever since that giant had given him a tail, he was terrified of the adult freaks. The small of his back had never fully recovered from the tail incident. A couple of weeks after the doctor had removed the tail, he had collapsed in class as the scar on his back split open. The doctors were very confused, as they had no idea how Dudley could have suddenly lost a chunk of skin, fat, and a blessedly small piece of muscle (no one ever put forth the idea that the problem was caused by a partial human transfiguration finally wearing off, and that the missing tissue could be found where the tail had been discarded). Almost three years later, and the physical pain ranged from mildly annoying to aching to short spikes of severe pain.

Now that the adult freak was gone, he could breathe easier. He made his way up the stairs and to his room. With the door closed, he took out the two toffees the twin freaks had dropped. When he had first picked up the first toffee, he had been tempted to eat it right away. His summer diet had him craving any sort of sweet treat, so the temptation was huge. But he then noticed the second toffee and he was able to tamp down his impulses as he sneakily picked up the second treat. Now he could truly savor the taste in the privacy of his room.

Placing the second toffee in his pocket for later, he unwrapped the first toffee and popped into his mouth. He barely suppressed a moan of ecstasy as he chewed the candy and swallowed. He wondered if he could hold back and save the second one for after dinner. Maybe not though. He could feel his tongue watering in anticipation, almost like his mouth was nothing but tongue, like he couldn't even fit his tongue in his mouth, like…

Dudley's eyes widened as he began to gag. By the time he managed to stumble down to his parents for help, he could only manage to breath through his nose. He saw his reflection, where a two-foot-long purple tongue lolled out of his mouth. That was also the moment when he heard his mother scream.

* * *

As dinner was finishing up at the Weasley household and Molly was about to hustle everyone off to bed, Mister Weasley looked surprised to see a pair of men walking around the house to the picnic they were having in the back yard. One of the men was Kingsley Shacklebolt, an Auror he knew through Albus Dumbledore. The second man was Albus Dumbledore.

Arthur looked at the grim expressions of the two men, and a sense of trepidation filled his heart. "Headmaster, Kingsley, what brings you here tonight?"

Molly looked at the men in surprise, then looked at everyone else seated around the picnic table. "Bill, Charlie, Percy, could you please take the children inside the house?"

Before any of the referenced children could protest, Kingsley spoke up in his deep and serious voice. "Not so fast Molly. I need you, Arthur, Mister Potter, and anyone who went to Mister Potter's house today to stay. Everyone else, please go inside."

"What's going on?" asked Bill (the eldest Weasley son).

"Official Auror business. If your parents decide to share it with you, that is their choice. For now, all of you who didn't visit Harry Potter's residence, go inside. That is not a request."

Percy and Charlie shepherded Ginny and Hermione into the house. Both girls looking back at the bewildered Harry and Ron with concern. Bill looked to his father, who nodded. Bill then followed the rest back into the house.

"Professor Dumbledore" Harry spoke, "what is going on?"

Dumbledore looked down at Harry, with a world-weary look in his eyes. "Harry, this is Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt. He's a member of law enforcement, and something… something has happened that he needs to ask all of you about. I am here to act as your adult advisor, Harry. Before you answer any questions or say anything, I beg you to talk to me first so I can advise you."

Dumbledore looked over at Arthur and Molly. "Molly, you are here to represent your children's interests. I cannot overemphasize that now is not the time to berate or punish, even if you happen to feel the impulse. Please make sure they talk with you first before answering any questions or speaking. Arthur is here to answer questions himself, so it would be best for him to not act as a representative of your children."

Molly and Arthur both looked at each other in alarm and nodded to Dumbledore in response. The children simply looked at the adults, faces filled with confusion and concern.

Dumbledore turned to Kingsley. "We're ready."

Kingsley gestured for everyone to take a seat the table. He sat on one side and faced everyone else sitting on the other side. Harry sat next to Dumbledore while Fred, George, and Ron sat sandwiched between Arthur and Molly.

Once everyone was settled, Kingsley pulled out his wand to cast a series of privacy charms. He then pulled out two objects from his pockets. One was a wrapped toffee. The other was an empty toffee wrapper.

Molly, Arthur, Ron, and Harry looked at the objects in confusion. Albus looked at the objects with sadness. Fred and George looked at the objects and struggled to keep their eyes from widening in worry.

"Several hours ago," began Kingsley, "we were alerted to an incident at the home of Harry Potter, his aunt, uncle, and cousin. A neighbor, who knows the Headmaster, observed a collection of emergency vehicles surrounding Mister Potter's home. She informed the Headmaster who immediately called us in once he discovered what was happening. Our initial investigations reveal a… disturbing story."

Kingsley indicated the two objects.

"We found the wrapper on the bed of Mister Dudley Dursley. That would be Mister Potter's cousin, who is also a muggle. We found the wrapped toffee in Dudley's pocket. Our analysis of the toffee shows that it is a newly invented creation. An impressive piece of charm and potion work, that is meant to cause a person's tongue to grow around two to three feet, stop growing, and then revert to normal over fifteen to thirty minutes. The sort of thing I wouldn't be surprised to find as a prank candy at Hogwarts. We have already checked around and confirmed that Zonko's Joke Shop has never seen it, nor any of their competitors, nor the Headmaster, so we have a magical piece of candy that has never been seen before."

Molly looked at the twins, who were staring straight forward. Though it was a struggle, she held her tongue and looked back at Kingsley, who sat quietly watching the silent movements of the people across from him. When everyone was looking at him, he continued.

"Of course, that is how this toffee is supposed to work. But that is assuming that the one eating the toffee is a witch or wizard. The candy relies on the consumer's inherit magic counteracting the magic of the toffee. Without that inherit magic, inherit magic that is not found in muggles, the toffee's magic goes unchecked until… well, our analysis was not certain. Perhaps as soon as the toffee is completely digested, or perhaps however long it takes for someone to cast the counter."

The twins felt the blood draining from their faces, trying their best to stay still and quiet.

"Based on the empty wrapper, I think you all can start to see where this is going. It appears that Dudley ate the first toffee, and it began to work on him. According to his parents, he stumbled downstairs from his room shortly after all of you had left their house. At that point, Dudley's tongue was already at least two feet long, and growing. Dudley's mother, not knowing it was a tongue, feared some sort of creature was trying to enter Dudley's mouth. She immediately went to help her son by trying to yank it out of his mouth. Dudley was unable to speak to tell her it was his tongue, as his tongue's size limited him to gagging sounds."

Molly's hand covered her mouth as a gasp left her lips, her eyes tearing up.

"Dudley's father joined Dudley's mother in attempting to pull out what he also thought was a snake-like creature. They felt they were making progress, as they mistook the growth of the tongue for successfully pulling the creature from his mouth. The pain that the poor boy must have experienced… I can barely imagine. At around six feet long, Dudley's panicking father came up with the heartbreaking idea that they needed to kill the creature. So, he ran to the kitchen to grab a butcher's knife."

Harry grabbed the edge of the table's bench, his fingers digging into the wood. Everyone, save Dumbledore, looked as if they were on the edge of being sick. Dumbledore simply looked infinitely sad.

"Sadly, the underlying magic of any engorgement-based potions or charms on animals and humans ensures there is proper blood flow going to all the engorged tissue, enhancing the heart to ensure it can handle the additional strain. Put succinctly, the heart will pump harder. As such, Dudley's father ensured they were now dealing with a loss of blood situation that worsened as the tongue grew, and the tongue was most assuredly still growing. At this point, Dudley's mother called for an ambulance. Shortly after the ambulance arrived, I arrived on the scene along with a team of Obliviators to ensure we were able to maintain the Statute of Secrecy. By that point, Dudley's tongue had stopped growing with a final length of roughly 12 ½ feet. We assume that was the length when the blood loss and heart strain finally overwhelmed the poor boy. You see, the magic of the toffee has no effect on the deceased."

At this point, Ron threw up his dinner. Followed shortly by George and Fred. Harry simply felt numb.

Kingsley waited for the kids to settle down, as he vanished the mess with his wand. Once he had their attention again, he pushed the wrapped toffee forward.

"Now… I have a dead child on my hands and questions I want answered. So, would one of you like to tell me how Dudley Dursley, a muggle child, got his hands on one of these toffees?"


End file.
